(Newser)
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People in Britain are drinking a lot more alcohol than they care to admit, say researchers at the London's University College. They compared the amounts that people say they drink with actual alcohol sales and found that about 40% of the booze sold is mysteriously unaccounted for, reports the Telegraph. The study's authors estimate that 44% of men and 31% of women were exceeding government guidelines for weekly consumption, notable jumps in both categories.

“Particularly at home, people underestimate how much they drink," says one of the authors. British government guidelines say men should drink no more than four units of alcohol a day, which equates to two pints of beer; for women, it's three units per day, the equivalent of three small glasses of wine. The weekly limits are 21 units for men and 14 for women, reports the BBC.